Colonial Society on the Eve of the Revolution

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Colonial Society on the Eve of the Revolution
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THE BRITISH MERCANTILE SYSTEM
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MERCANTILISM 16th 18th century
political/economic philosophy

• Wealth Power
• Wealth is measured in gold and silver
• Soneed to export more than import, known as
  favorable balance of trade
• Role of American Colonies
• Provide raw materials, esp. for shipbuilding
• MARKETS - purchase finished goods
• Grow products that would otherwise have to be
  purchased from other nations e.g., tobacco,
  sugar, rice

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• The most infamous of the laws to enforce
  mercantilism were the

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NAVIGATION ACTS, 1650s BR laws originally
aimed at what rival?

• All commerce to from colonies must be in
  British ships
• European goods destined to America must stop in
  British ports first
• Certain enumerated goods can only be sent from
  the colonies through England not directly to
  European markets (tobacco, rice, indigo)
• Certain goods (e.g., woolen cloth and beaver
  hats) forbidden from manufacture in colonies
  why?

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Benefits of Mercantilism

• SALUTARY NEGLECT!
• BR laws only loosely enforced
• Smuggling abounds! John Hancock is King of
  Smugglers (sugar)
• Ready markets for specific products
• VA tobacco has monopoly on BR market
• Tobacco growing in England/Ireland prohibited
• Protection by British Navy without much taxation
• Trickle Down Prosperity
• Avg. American was better off than avg. Englishman

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The Downside of Mercantilism

• Stifles economic initiative
• Americans not at liberty to buy, sell, ship or
  manufacture under conditions most profitable to
  them
• Perpetual indebtedness to mother country
• VA forced to sell in BR thus at mercy of BR
  buyers, who drive price down
• Perpetual debt cycle planters mortgage future
  crops to pay for English goods
• Resentment at being used for the benefit of the
  empire
• England begins enforcing policies more vigorously
  after 1763
• Revolution broke out because England failed to
  recognize an emerging nation when it saw one.
  Theodore Roosevelt

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Triangular Trade

• Very profitable! More and more Americans demand
  more British suppliesBritish population is at a
  saturation pointdont need more American goods
  disrupting balance of trade
• B/C of mercantilist policies, Americans have to
  go through Britain for buying and selling of
  goods, means more , leads to illegal smuggling
  with other nations colonies

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Factors leading to an American Identity

• Population Boom! By 1775 2.5 million, population
  doubling every 25 years (Franklins prediction
  was right!) due to high birthrate and immigration
• Young population with average age of 16, mostly
  rural

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Factors leading to an American Identity

• Diversity- Population of America is not majority
  British born subjects, they are outnumbered 3 to
  1
• Groups are increasingly anti-British, German,
  Scot-Irish, Swedes, Dutch, Scots, French, etc.
  Middle colonies were most diverse.
• Inter-marriage prevalent, America is a melting
  pot from the beginning

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Colonial Class Structure

• Ability to move up, except for slaves
• Much different than Europe b/c no titled
  aristocracy and not a lot of landless poor
• Most Americans were small farmers, in cities,
  artisans, shopkeepers, trades people, laborers
• In some places large gaps between rich/poor but
  really very few poor
• Bottom was poor laborers, widows, orphans,
  slaves, convicts shipped from England
• South had most rigid social structure

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Working America

• Agriculture was leading industry - tobacco in the
  south and bread basket in the middle
• Ministry was most honored profession
• Physicians and Barbersdont get sick!
• Typical family?
• Americans enjoyed one of highest standards of
  living in the world at the time
• Other economic activities?

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WILLIAMSBURG, VA
Curing tobacco
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Colonial Social Networking

• Social, political life revolved around the
  TAVERNS which served as place to stay for
  travelers and place to meet for locals.
• Roads hard to travel and news slow to travel
• CHURCHES very important for social networking too
• Many laws regulating moral behavior, colonial
  punishments are a little different from today

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Great Awakening

• Church not as hard core as when
• Puritans first landed
• Too much prosperity
• Problems with doctrines
• half-way covenant
• Too many denominations
• 1730s-40s - First Great Awakening is a religious
  revival that rocked the colonies!
• Starts in Middle Colonies PA NJ
• George Whitefield-English born revivalist
• evangelical revivalist preaching that could move
  anyone
• very gifted orator
• moved people to become saved and fill up
  collection dishes
• Scaled theology down to comprehension of 12 yr.
  olds
• Even preaches that God IS responsive to good
  intentions

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More Awakening.

• In MA - American minister, Jonathan Edwards
• Intellectual
• Fire and brimstone sermons
• Sinners in the Hands of a Angry God
• God holding the unconverted over the pit of
  hell!!
• Faith alone, not good works, will save you!
• Attack on increasing materialism

• IMPACT OF GREAT AWAKENING
• FIRST SPONTANEOUS MASS MOVEMENT OF THE AMERICAN
  PEOPLE! more sense of being American, unity
• More direct relationship with God undermining old
  clergy
• Many new denominations spring up/split in
  Congregational and Presbyterian churches between
  Old Lights / New Lights
• Fostered religious toleration missionary work
  with natives
• People begin to believe disobedience to authority
  does NOT necessarily equal eternal damnation
• New colleges founded (Princeton, William Mary)

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Colonial Political Structure

• Religious and/or property qualifications
• exist in all the colonies
• Colonists did recognize BR sovereignty but BR
  inefficiency distance allowed them much freedom
• BR allowed colonists to make their own laws on
  local matters collect local taxes, BUT reserved
  right to veto actions if they were deemed against
  the national interest KNOWN AS?
• SALUTARY NEGLECT!
• ORGANIZATION OF COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS
• Governor appointed by King or proprietor
• Legislature 2 houses in all but PA
• Lower house chosen by the voters
• Had power of the purse (local taxes - paid
  Governors salary!)
• Upper house appointed by King to be advisors to
  Governor

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Colonial Political Structure

• King-Privy Council-Parliament (House of Lords and
  commoners), Royal Governors (appointed)
• Elected colonial assemblies (House of Burgesses)
  could be dissolved by the governor
• Colonial legislatures could pass local laws and
  collect local taxes all of which could be
  overturned, but also held power of purse (paid
  the governor!)
• Voting restricted to land-holders

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Colonial Political Structure

• Judges were appointed by the King but chosen from
  leaders of the colonial communities
• By late 17th century, all colonies being
  transformed from proprietary/charter colonies to
  royal colonies
• British failure to establish an effective,
  centralized government in the colonies actually
  led to our current federal system of government
  with power divided between a central govt and
  state govts

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Education

• Harvard first college in America
• For Puritan clergy
• William and Mary for better clergy in South
• Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, Rutgers after the
  Great Awakening
• New England major focus on education
• Only area to provide for public education
• Important only for boys though and school is very
  strict

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American Culture

• Ben Franklin first famous American in both
  America and in Europe - multi-talented with many
  scientific cultural achievements..such as?
• electricity, iron stove, bifocals, forms
  circulating library, idea of a lottery
• Colonial Press -important for spread of info
  has more freedom than in Europe
• John Peter Zenger Case over libel over corrupt
  governor found not guilty truth is absolute
  defense to libel
• Arts John Trumbull and Willson Peale

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Charles Willson Peale
John Trumbull
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Colonial Pastimes

• Hard-working with little luxuries
• Streets were dirty, not many baths
• Card playing, horse racing, fox hunting, dances,
  funerals, marriages
• Depended on religion and region as to what was
  socially acceptable

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Marriage Family

• Marriage ages
• Except in New England, girls preparing for it by
  age 13 unmarried by age 21 old maids
• Many men didnt take the plunge until 30s!
• Marriages usually at home, not church
• LARGE FAMILIES WHY?
• No real birth control
• Need as many hands as possible for all the work
• Disease killed off many kids ( moms)
• Paul Revere 17 kids!
• Record SC woman who had 34 children!

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ColonialMedicine

• Chief surgical technique bloodletting (barbers)
• Smallpox was great killer of the time those who
  survived had pockmarks (Washington)
• Outbreaks of typhoid fever from lack of public
  sanitation dysentery from foul drink uncooked
  food
• Childhood diseases measles, mumps, diphtheria,
  whooping cough family with 10 kids could expect
  5 to make it
• Medical remedies were bizarre!